McDonald's Menus and Uncertainty Reduction Theory

Introduction to Uncertainty Reduction Theory

In the field of communication, extant theories and models aim to provide explanations about the nature and dynamics of relating to and interacting with other people. These theoretical frameworks also address various kinds of communication — verbal and non-verbal, as well as intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, and organizational. One of the most important areas among these concerns theories about interpersonal relationships, which serve as the common ground for further studies on communication among people at the one-on-one, group, and organizational levels.

Among interpersonal theories, Charles Berger's Uncertainty Reduction Theory stands out as one of the most descriptive and analytical frameworks for studying communication at its most basic level. The theory describes the "self-monitoring" behavior of communicators when initially establishing a relationship or interacting with another communicator. It involves two important concepts: objective and subjective self-awareness. Objective self-awareness places the individual self at the center, while subjective self-awareness considers the individual's environment as the central focus rather than the self (Littlejohn, 1999, p. 260). In effect, subjective self-awareness is the part of the self that provides rational thinking, while objective self-awareness centers on the individual's behavior toward a specific activity or phenomenon.

Given these ideas about self-monitoring and self-awareness, uncertainty reduction is considered a human communication theory that attempts to make sense of and assign meaning to social phenomena. The combination of both the rational and emotional selves, according to the theory, diminishes a communicator's uncertainty about his or her environment and allows the communicator to react or behave in ways consistent with his or her values and beliefs.

Self-Awareness, Self-Monitoring, and Intercultural Communication

Berger's Uncertainty Reduction Theory extends beyond interpersonal relations to encompass a wider range of communication forms, including intercultural communication. In intercultural communication, the interplay of personal values and beliefs with the social environment plays a significant role in describing and explaining the processes involved when a communicator interacts with another communicator or group of communicators from a different cultural background.

Applying the key concepts associated with Berger's theory in the context of intercultural communication, this paper analyzes McDonald's menus as communication artifacts. McDonald's menus are observed to have a dynamic nature because the fast food chain frequently alters its menu offerings whenever it establishes business in a country or region where the culture and food diet differ from those of American food culture. For the purpose of the analysis, three food cultures are studied, each characterized as possessing distinct McDonald's menu characteristics: Canada, India, and the Philippines.

McDonald's Menus as Communication Artifacts

Uncertainty Reduction Theory bears significance for McDonald's marketing strategy to attract potential customers. The process, like the theory's structure, is two-fold. The first phase involves the introduction of a new menu by McDonald's that suits a particular food culture's dietary preferences, traditions, and values. The process of uncertainty reduction begins with the communicator's — that is, the individual consumer's — encounter with the new organization and the artifact itself (the McDonald's menu). The individual's receptiveness to the organization is based on the characteristics of the artifact, or the menu. As uncertainty arises regarding the individual's receptiveness, he or she looks to the social environment in which the artifact is situated. If the individual recognizes that the menu parallels his or her food diet and preferences, uncertainty decreases, and a potential relationship between the individual — now the customer — and McDonald's is established.

This illustrates how the theory's concepts apply to an analysis of McDonald's menus across three food cultures: Canadian, Indian, and Filipino. At the objective self-awareness level, the individual is depicted scanning McDonald's social environment through its menu offerings. At the subjective self-awareness level, the individual consults himself or herself, ascertaining whether the food offerings on the menu reflect his or her food tastes, preferences, and dietary habits. As scholars of glocalization have noted, multinational corporations routinely adapt their products to local cultural contexts as a core strategy for consumer acceptance.

Conclusion

From the analyses of the menus of McDonald's branches in Canada, India, and the Philippines, Berger's theory explaining the process of reducing uncertainty toward an artifact, activity, or phenomenon is clearly illustrated. McDonald's communication strategy demonstrates that menus act as communication artifacts reflecting the food culture of a new market that the chain is attempting to attract as potential — and ultimately loyal — customers. In the process of reducing uncertainty toward McDonald's, individuals first scan their social environment. When that social environment, as projected through the menu, matches the food diet, preferences, values, and beliefs of the people, uncertainty is reduced and acceptance and interaction take place.

References

Littlejohn, S. (1999). Theories of Human Communication. Wadsworth Publishing Co.

Official website of McDonald's India:

Official website of McDonald's Canada: http://www.mcdonalds.ca/en/food/lighter.aspx

Official website of McDonald's Philippines: